tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post8644676803629454375..comments2024-02-23T02:03:23.020-07:00Comments on The Eco Cat Lady Speaks: Thanksgiving Every DayEcoCatLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-24467847197107641022012-12-16T22:50:43.681-07:002012-12-16T22:50:43.681-07:00Glad you enjoyed my food revelations. You know, I&...Glad you enjoyed my food revelations. You know, I'm often amused by the "diet wars" that seem so prevalent these days... vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, paleo, gluten free, raw foods, low fat, high protein, etc etc etc. And I've read numerous accounts of people who switch to one of these diets and find it to be miraculous! <br /><br />The funny thing is that I've read just as many accounts of people claiming that meat is horrible for you as people claiming that grains are the scourge of the planet. It's like people eating practically opposite diets report almost identical results! <br /><br />My theory on all this is that ANY of these approaches is vastly superior to the typical American diet which consists mostly of sugar, refined carbohydrates, and partially hydrogenated soybean oil!<br /><br />Anyhow, congratulations on starting your culinary journey, and thanks for visiting!<br /><br />:-)<br />CatEcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-68987584067969332482012-12-16T21:30:21.706-07:002012-12-16T21:30:21.706-07:00OK, I've been moving from a regular American d...OK, I've been moving from a regular American diet to gluten free and now to a modified Paleo and so I really enjoyed this post. Amused me a great deal; I've been owly-eyed in the local coop more than once while making this journey.<br /><br />Just found you today! So...must go read further back into your days. Yeah!Jonyahttp://jonya.com/lifeadventurenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-68814879126119265642012-12-03T10:28:19.621-07:002012-12-03T10:28:19.621-07:00A while back Huffington Post did a week long "...A while back Huffington Post did a week long "challenge" where they got people to sign up for the oh, so difficult task of not eating out for an entire week. I was totally floored! First of all, I sort of couldn't believe that such a large percentage of the population is well-off enough to be able to afford to eat out so often, but secondly, I couldn't imagine this actually being a challenge for anyone! Guess I really do live out on the crazy fringes of society! :-)EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-28644174690731882432012-12-03T06:40:29.975-07:002012-12-03T06:40:29.975-07:00Oh, I love it! My grandmother was a Pillsbury bake...Oh, I love it! My grandmother was a Pillsbury bake off finalist and I inherited her love of cooking. It always floors me when I have my friends over to show them how to cook and they don't even know how to hold a chef's knife. There's only one good thing about that--their kitchens contain many fewer gadgets than mine!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03828440573673170480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-61981749614131076042012-11-28T20:54:07.868-07:002012-11-28T20:54:07.868-07:00Ha! You called it perfectly! Asparagus, red pepper...Ha! You called it perfectly! Asparagus, red peppers and mushrooms are the three veggies that he actually likes!EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-8726715296064362282012-11-28T20:53:23.151-07:002012-11-28T20:53:23.151-07:00Grandma actually won a beauty contest back in 1928...Grandma actually won a beauty contest back in 1928 - I've still got the silver trophy! EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-91522510113933086682012-11-28T20:52:39.839-07:002012-11-28T20:52:39.839-07:00Ha! Now there's a plan for getting him to eat ...Ha! Now there's a plan for getting him to eat his veggies. I fear pickled foods frighten me... the whole idea of kimchi makes my stomach turn!EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-78870383730739360182012-11-24T11:17:30.169-07:002012-11-24T11:17:30.169-07:00Wow your grandmother is stunning, absolutely gorge...Wow your grandmother is stunning, absolutely gorgeous. My grandmother cooked and baked, but she liked to over salt things and she cooked meat until it was dead I used to say. She was afraid of getting anything pink on her plate. My boyfriends taught me how to really cook. As for my mother, when I did live with her for a few years all we had were convenience foods. Canned ravioli, boxes of mac and cheese and more tv dinners than I ever want to remember. I refused to buy any of those things when my boys were little, cooking from scratch. I even taught myself how to make my own bread, which I always thought would be really hard. It's not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-68888601625352529692012-11-23T17:03:26.262-07:002012-11-23T17:03:26.262-07:00My mother is an amazing cook, but very lazy. My ma...My mother is an amazing cook, but very lazy. My maternal grandmother is an amazing cook and loves to cook everyday. So naturally I ate very well when at my grandparents home. <br /><br />I never realized how lucky I was to grow up eating outstanding and delicious homecooked meals every single day. It's only after marrying my husband and witnessing his family meals and yeach! I can't stand my inlaws to begin with and the food issue makes them even less enjoyable to be around. <br /><br />As for my husband and not liking his veggies - he loves Korean food. So I pickle every veggie I want him to eat and called it marinate korean whatever (beets, cabbage) and that thing disappears faster than I can serve it. Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16634224949017222788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-6373814532901251402012-11-21T14:22:44.656-07:002012-11-21T14:22:44.656-07:00It really is fun to learn that you have the power ...It really is fun to learn that you have the power to do something you never would have expected.<br /><br />But bummer about your mom getting all insulted. Everything she did was good enough for you, but that doesn't mean no one else in the world has additional cool ideas--nobody can do (or even know) all the cool ideas. That's one thing I miss about not having new roommates all the time: no more influx of cool new ideas.Debbie Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-6475552736652309252012-11-21T14:19:27.121-07:002012-11-21T14:19:27.121-07:00Yep, I've heard the super-taster thing, too. ...Yep, I've heard the super-taster thing, too. I don't feel super though--I feel like a spoiled six year old! [I actually think spinach and arugula taste okay (raw), though there's a curly green I don't like. Raw celery, however: ugh. Sounds juicy and refreshing, tastes extremely bitter like earwax. Yet most people say it has almost no flavor.]<br /><br />My guy also likes super strong flavors--I'm not the only one who has described his cooking as "overwhelming." So we mostly cook separately. He does like some of my cooking, though he often feels he has to jazz it up a bit (with hot sauce, fish sauce, red wine, extra big hunks of meat, ...) We do agree on the strong flavor known as dark chocolate (though he'd still rather have it mixed with candied ginger or coffee beans or hot peppers).<br /><br />Hmm, garlic and parmesan do sound pretty good!<br /><br />FYI, if CatMan doesn't like green bell peppers, he might like red bell peppers (not as bitter) or yellow bell peppers (even less bitter)--they are more expensive but better for you in some ways. Also, asparagus soaked in oil and spices and then grilled is pretty good. Also, mushrooms cooked in just butter (especially the tasteless white button mushrooms) are good (well, when other people cook them like that--I haven't tried it yet).<br /><br />You should never open a can with a knife. It is extremely bad for the knife. And probably isn't too safe. But I did it once--take a big knife and set the point on top of the can at an outer edge of the lid with the knife standing straight up on end. Then pound down with your fist on the knife until the knife pokes through the lid. Then scootch the knife over and repeat. For something liquidy, you could just make two cuts at an angle to each other, bend back the metal (assuming you have pliers? but no can opener?), and pour out the contents. But I had something chunky and had to go at least halfway around the can.Debbie Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-27130248234331518362012-11-21T13:49:47.448-07:002012-11-21T13:49:47.448-07:00I actually do less freezing now than I did when I ...I actually do less freezing now than I did when I was still working. I now usually just make a big batch and eat the same thing for a week. But if I've made more than I can stomach, I'll still freeze things so I don't waste them. It also helps at harvest time when I've got more zucchini than I can possibly eat. My freezer is currently stuffed with about a dozen loaves of zucchini bread!<br /><br />But when I was working freezing things in meal-sized portions was a life saver because I'd just grab something from the freezer as I was running out the door, and it was generally defrosted by the time I was ready to eat, so I just had to warm it up in the microwave for a minute or two. EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-47912066263223421532012-11-21T13:44:57.359-07:002012-11-21T13:44:57.359-07:00CatMan isn't a big fan of veggies either. His ...CatMan isn't a big fan of veggies either. His theory is that he is a "super taster." Seriously, there's this theory that different people have different numbers of taste buds, and the people with more taste buds perceive flavors more strongly than folks with fewer. Anyhow, we did this little test where you actually count the number of taste buds on a small circle of your tongue, and it turns out I'm in the "non-taster" category and he's in the "super-taster." <br /><br />This may explain why I adore foods with strong flavors and think that many of the things he likes taste like cardboard. He's always claiming that green vegetables taste bitter to him, and I haven't a clue what he's saying because spinach, chard and the like all taste sweet to me.<br /><br />Anyhow, I've gotten good at "hiding" the vegetables inside things like lasagna so he doesn't notice them, and finding ways to prepare veggies that he actually does like (roasting them with garlic and Parmesan cheese is a big hit.)<br /><br />I know you said not to ask, but I'm dying to know how one opens a can with a knife!EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-28980129492424581222012-11-21T13:35:30.732-07:002012-11-21T13:35:30.732-07:00Oh Rachel, I'm so sorry that you lost your mot...Oh Rachel, I'm so sorry that you lost your mother at such a young age. What a beautiful gift she left you.<br /><br />I totally agree about the extraneous stuff getting in the way like the state of the kitchen. I'm really, REALLY trying to keep the disaster to a minimum in there so that I don't have to clean up the kitchen before I can cook! <br /><br />Debbie - I remember the first time I was at a friend's house and they made popcorn on the stovetop in a big pan. I thought it was the most amazing thing I'd ever witnessed. I promptly came home and wanted to try it out myself. That set off a HUGE fight with my mother who was soon standing there screaming at me "Why is nothing I do ever good enough for you?!?" I should have replied "Maybe it's because you're always screaming at me..." Alas, my wit was not fully developed at age 11! :-)EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-4179234226220301402012-11-21T13:27:58.815-07:002012-11-21T13:27:58.815-07:00The financial part is a big motivator for me too. ...The financial part is a big motivator for me too. I'm always amazed that I can eat better food cheaper by cooking myself - it was like a big "outsmart the system" discovery for me!EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-47417484108656081652012-11-21T13:22:33.920-07:002012-11-21T13:22:33.920-07:00Ha! I did the same thing, only it was when I was a...Ha! I did the same thing, only it was when I was about 10 years old. I started going to the local Baptist church with my friend's family - of all the churches to choose... it was a doosey! Anyhow, my friend moved away, but the church had a school bus that they would use to go collect wayward children like me, so I kept going by myself for a while.<br /><br />It didn't last long though... I think it was the part about all the little Hindu children rotting in hell that turned me off.EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-90571483527619010342012-11-21T12:21:57.141-07:002012-11-21T12:21:57.141-07:00Don't like things in the freezer. And I make ...Don't like things in the freezer. And I make baked ziti now instead of lasagna. (Actually, baked macaroni, usually, because it's cheaper.) Tastes just as good to me and is a lot quicker.Debbie Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-13901905949662120192012-11-21T12:19:40.087-07:002012-11-21T12:19:40.087-07:00Yeah, I had a roommate who didn't know you cou...Yeah, I had a roommate who didn't know you could pop popcorn in a pan. She had only seen Jiffy pop (equivalent to the modern microwave popcorn bags). And when you look at things like raw scrambled eggs and cake batter, it can be very difficult to accept that these disgusting-looking materials are about to become delicious. People who cook always say it's easy, but if you know nothing about cooking, there is a lot to learn.Debbie Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-28711986104747048142012-11-21T12:16:42.539-07:002012-11-21T12:16:42.539-07:00My mom did cook, but I was a really picky eater. ...My mom did cook, but I was a really picky eater. And I still am. I wish I were one of those people who tasted real fresh vegetables and thought they were good, but no. I prefer donuts.<br /><br />That said, I do cook. I wouldn't say I like to cook, but I do like to eat food that I have cooked (once I get a recipe perfected, anyway). For example, I use only whole wheat pastry flour (still tastes like white flour to me, but has fiber in it). And for another example, my desserts seem yummier to me than most of what is served in restaurants and bakeries. Also, if I'm doing the cooking, I can grate up yucky vegetables and put them in the chili or spaghetti to make them healthier.<br /><br />My mom didn't let us help with the cooking, but we were allowed to watch, so I had quite a few clues. Plus she did let me in the kitchen to work on a cooking badge in Girl Scouts AND I did take a home economics class (in cooking, sewing, and child care). However, I learned most of my cooking from camping trips with the Girl Scouts. So my odd perspective is that I feel that a lot of perfectly ordinary things are luxury cooking items (a cheese grater instead of a knife, a can opener instead of a knife--don't ask, knives that are sharper on the sharp side than the dull side, egg beaters instead of a fork, and stainless steel pans instead of aluminum). So I still don't have a lot of the things I am supposed to want like a food processor and extremely expensive heavy pans (my cooking mostly involves stirring, so uneven heating is no big deal).<br /><br />I like to cook things that are quick in big batches and then re-heat them all week. I do not like re-heating things that are frozen--takes too long!<br /><br />My mom mostly cooked from scratch because we were poor. As she's gotten more money, she does more convenience cooking. Last time I was home, she used pre-made meatballs, for example, which she recommended. I said I'm feeling too poor to use those (trying to retire ASAP)--I go the other direction, making my own chocolate syrup and pumpkin butter.Debbie Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-34777236553041003082012-11-21T09:46:45.628-07:002012-11-21T09:46:45.628-07:00My mother was a great cook, as was her mother, as ...My mother was a great cook, as was her mother, as was her mother (by all accounts) and probably her mother as well. There really wasn't much probability that I and my sister wouldn't also be good cooks.<br /><br />That said, it's amazing how many of my cooking skills I learnt from my mother, considering she died when I was thirteen. I don't remember her teaching me, specifically, but I used to hang out in the kitchen after school and chat to her (and probably get in the way) while she was cooking dinner. For me, cooking is a link with my mother that I value greatly. That's not to say it's never a chore, but when I'm in the right mood I really enjoy it. Thinking about it, it's the planning and the state of my kitchen that tend to get me down. If I know what I'm cooking, have ingredients and equipment ready, and have allowed enough time, then I'm usually happy with the actual cooking part.<br /><br />My husband, on the other hand, comes from a family of poor cooks. He was amazed the first time he saw me cook roast potatoes, made from <em>actual potatoes!</em>Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619866897155085499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-84655920105105100342012-11-21T09:37:38.882-07:002012-11-21T09:37:38.882-07:00There are many ways of rebelling. When I was a tee...There are many ways of rebelling. When I was a teenager I rebelled against my dad's atheism and went to church (but I grew out of it).Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16619866897155085499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-87782225933803352692012-11-21T03:25:58.915-07:002012-11-21T03:25:58.915-07:00What a lovely life story eco- thanks for telling.....What a lovely life story eco- thanks for telling............my mum (who I have learnt to love) was an awful cook and she loved convenience foods. However lack of money and being born in a small Welsh town in the 60's saved us from the type of food you mentioned. It was more fried everything, usually chips and egg. My grandmother was a great home cooking woman who ws a positive role model but it didnt really rub off until it was too late and she had gone. Ny partner taught me about how the ritual of cooking is emotionally soothing, a pass time good for building realtionships and healthy. However the biggest push to cooking if Im honest goes back to saving money to reach my goal of wanting to have financial freedom and also be more self sufficient. So my passion for cooking and preserving food is something that has come late in life in the last 2 years (Im 48 now)Ruehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08458312607116715427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-27482566572349256362012-11-20T18:18:56.059-07:002012-11-20T18:18:56.059-07:00My food allergies certainly gave me a nudge in ter...My food allergies certainly gave me a nudge in terms of cooking from scratch. At this point I only eat out a few times per year and it's more of an ordeal than a treat, since it's a challenge to find something on the menu that won't make me swell up like a sweet potato! :-)EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-32719321045860820442012-11-20T18:17:30.768-07:002012-11-20T18:17:30.768-07:00I guess that makes sense. I think I might be a bit...I guess that makes sense. I think I might be a bit unique in that I viewed cooking as a supreme form of rebellion!EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7685979597473858413.post-16578818270059778312012-11-20T18:16:36.025-07:002012-11-20T18:16:36.025-07:00I'm chuckling at your comments about your dad&...I'm chuckling at your comments about your dad's mum - reminds me of my mother's biscuits which were black on the outside and raw on the inside!EcoCatLadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15704811319510740473noreply@blogger.com